Stone Cold
by 24Mentalistlover
Summary: They were supposed to have forever...then fate stepped in.
1. Chapter 1

_I dont own any of the characters sadly...if i did Renee would still be alive. _

_Many thanks to Emma, Jade, and Lisa who convinced me to upload my fanfics :)_

_Review are much appreciated :D_

He can't stop the images from flooding his mind. He can see her…smell her…hear her. The way she smiled as he looked into her eyes after they made love. He can't take this. The blood, soaked into his shirt, her laying there….on a stone cold steel table.

He can remember the first day they ever met. He was at the Senate hearing, ready to face the consequences for his actions. He can still remember seeing her, leaving a trail of fiery red hair in her wake. She walked and stood with the grace of a ballerina, and gave off an "don't mess with me' type of attitude. She was attractive, and he knew it, but after everything that happened with Audrey, he couldn't imagine ever know lust or love again.

He can't really remember when he fell in love exactly. Hell, he can't remember if he even knew what was happening. He knows it's crazy to say he fell in love with someone after barely knowing them for a day, but there was something special about her. She was unlike anyone he had ever met. She went by the rules…except when her gut instincts kicked in. She was one hell of and agent, and one hell of a woman. That fiery red hair of hers and her eyes, they were eyes that bore right into his soul, striping him down, and making him completely vulnerable. She saw right through him, and tore down every damn wall he built.


	2. Chapter 2

_Many thanks for this chapter go out to Kayla who proof read this for me. I owe ya so much girl!_

_Also thanks again to Jade, Lisa and Emma and to all those that have encouraged me with your kind words. _

_Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of the characters portrayed in this story. If I did, this would have happened._

_Reviews keep me going, so keep em coming please! :)_

He stands there looking at her on the table, immobilized by the beauty she emits. She looks like she's sleeping peacefully, but…he knows the truth..she will never breathe again. She will never be there to hold him when he's angry or upset, or even hold the child they were meant to have…

He knows it was reckless to get his hopes up. He dared to dream for a moment when everything looked as if was all going to be ok. As he looked into her eyes after they made love, he could see his future-

No their future. A house in california maybe? Possibly. As long as they were together, he knew everything would be ok. There was one thing he knew was for certain, they would have kids. After all, he may be old, but she was in her prime. She was only 32 after all, and she deserved kids. Just because he messed up his life doesn't mean he will allow her to ruin hers.

He kisses her, and it feels as if his heart is going to explode as she looks at him with love, and lust all rolled into one. He takes a second to look at the beautiful creature lying next to him. First there's those freckles. They're all over her face, giving her that sexy unique feature he loves so much. Then there's the tattoo he never would have ever expected to find on her. Its on her upper right shoulder. Its a cross.

"So i never forget my roots and family". she told him as she planted a kiss on his lips.

It was such a simple statement, but opened up so many doors for Jack. He wanted to know everything about her.

"But i have time...we're gonna have forever after all" He thought as he kisses her back.

A much as he cherished this moment, there was a voice in the back of his head that kept trying to remind him of the truth.

"You are Jack Bauer. You are cursed and you know it. She will die, and there will be nothing you can do to stop it and you know its true. Just think of Teri and is rotting in the ground thanks to you, and Audrey would be better off dead rather than stay in the state she is in now. You know its true, you brought this upon them. How are you going to feel when Renee meets the same fate?"

Somewhere in the back of his head, he heard those words, but he had chosen to ignore it. He would be happy for once. After all, its only mind over matter right?

_WRONG_

The proof is lying dead on the table in front of him.

* * *

The words from James Heller haunt his thoughts...

"You're cursed Jack"

He knows it to be true. He can't believe what he has cost those who dare to love him. He bends down to feel her one last time before he can say...goodbye when the unthinkable happens.

It's faint.

Like a slight thump, but he cant mistake it.

Renee was and always has been a fighter, and this is no different. Somewhere in the back of his head he feels like this is a cruel joke his imagination is playing on him.

The broken part of him sees hope.

He can feel it growing stronger now, and runs outside to hail a nurse.

The rest is a blur...

He remembers yelling...a lot.

"I'm not crazy...

She has a DAMN PULSE!

DAMMIT! GET A DOCTOR HERE NOW!"

He remembers feeling faint as the doctors rushed into the room to save the woman he loved...

He remembers thinking that karma has a way of kicking someone is the ass, but also coming back and working miracles.

He remembers doing something that he hasn't done since Teri died.

He remembers putting his hands together and..

Praying.

"I don't know who to turn to right now. I know it's been awhile...actually its been a very long time since i last spoke to you. I've done things I'm not proud if, and you know that. The last time...was when Teri was killed. I was angry then, and said things that I'm not proud of. You took her away, don't take Renee too. I NEED her...more than you know. She's my other half...my...Teri...I don't know what to do without her. I've been alone for so long...

Please God"

Everything happened so fast after that.

* * *

"Sir?"

Jack looked up and saw the same doctor that declared Renee dead almost 4 hours ago. The mans face was blank but his eyes..

They looked as if they were hiding a secret.

"We were able to stabilize her. She in a coma right now though. We induced it to help her go through surgery. She lost a lot of blood...and she will not be able to go back into the field when she recovers. I'm sorry, but if she does, the overexertion could kill her. Now i can see she's a fighter,but i have a feeling that having to quit her job wont go over very well with her. Your her husband, so i think it would be best if you broke the news to her."

As the doctor spoke to Jack, very few words actually registered with him. He was lost in a haze. It wasn't until her heard the word "Husband" that he snapped back into reality.

"Excuse me doctor, I'm..not her husband." I wish he thought.

"Oh, well..I just thought that...are you her boyfriend then? Do you happen to know where her family can be reached?"

"No, I don't know much about her family...we never really talked about it...when can I see her? Jack asked. It felt as if his heart was pumping at a mile a minute. Renee was alive... Renee was alive! The love of his life was alive...he had to hold her at least once to see her breathe...to feel her breath on his cheeks, to make sure that it was true and he wasn't dreaming.

"I don't see why not, I'll take you to her"


	3. Chapter 3

_ July 4th is a big thing in my house, especially since it's my dads birthday as well. It's been 9 years since the September 11th attacks, and its a miracle that my dad is still alive. Sorry for all this sappy stuff, but I just wanted to get this off my chest. _

_Revised this chapter for you guys :D There's more to come :)_

_You guys know that I love reviews right?... ;)_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of these characters...sadly. If I did, this would defiantly have happened :)**_

Jack followed the doctor down the hall feeling out of place. Part of him wanted to run, to give Renee the life she deserved, while the other part wanted to stay by her side and never leave. They walked for about a good ten minutes through the hospital. With every step he took, Jack felt more and more anxious. When they finally arrived, the doctor turned and faced Jack.

"I'll leave you alone. Just remember, she may not be awake for awhile. Visiting hours normally end at 9, but given the circumstances I'll let it pass. You stay as long as you need to." With that the doctor turned and left, leaving Jack to face his demons. The pain and anguish that he felt was too much. He knew it would be best to turn away and never come back. After all, she was only here now because of him. But the problem was he couldn't get himself to move. He was too scared to move forward.

"That's a first. I wonder what Chloe would say right now" Jack thought. "Ha, she probably tell me to man up and go inside..." He turned the knob, and stepped inside the room, and what he saw made his breath catch in his throat. Renee was lying on the bed, but you could barely see her. She was clouded by machines, all beeping simultaneously, all keeping the woman he loved alive. He walked over, dragging a chair with him, and sat by the side of her bed. And there he sat, patiently waiting for her to return to him.

* * *

The days blurred together at the hospital. The staff knew better than to enforce visiting hours on Jack, after all,he didn't do anything but sit there, only moving when Kim made him go eat.

Seeing Kim for the first time almost brought tears to his eyes. He felt horrible for taking her away from her family, but she refused to leave.

"Renee saved your life dad, I owe her this much. Now you need to eat, or your gonna be the one admitted into the hospital. I didn't fly across the country to watch you deteriorate." Kim told him. " I know you want to be here when she wakes up, and I promise you that if I see any sign of that happening, I will let you know. Now please go eat and freshen up."

Jack knew there was no point in arguing with his daughter, so he complied. For the next two weeks Jack and Kim sat, waiting patiently for Renee to wake up.

* * *

"Mmmph"

Jack head sprang up. He had been sitting in his plastic chair hunched over onto Renee's bed asleep when he heard her shuffle. It looked as if she was having a nightmare. Her eyes danced in her head, and her hands twitched. Jack watched, trying to think of what he could do, when suddenly her eyes fluttered open. Jack had his hand on hers, and he felt a squeeze.

"Jack" Her eyes filled with tears as she looked into Jacks eyes.

Kim rushed out to go find a doctor, as Renee became more conscious as to what was going on. Jack stayed with her, refusing to leave, even when the doctor ordered him too. he left her once, he was never going to make that mistake again.

She feel asleep not soon after the doctor cleared her. She wouldn't be discharged for awhile, but Jack was patient. He vowed to stay by her side until he could take her home. Kim had left, not back to California, but to Jack's apartment, to freshen it up. She had been staying there ever since Renee woke up, attempting to make it livable again. It made Kim happy to know that her family was almost whole again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer-** I do NOT own any of these characters, they belong to Fox.

* * *

1 year later...

He walked into the room to see her lying in bed, still sleeping peacefully. The day she was discharged from the hospital, they came back to the apartment, expecting it to be a mess, but they were pleasantly surprised when they saw it immaculately clean. It turns out Kim and Steven had paid for the damages, knowing that her father would want to stay with Renee during her recovery.

"Good morning gorgeous"

He leanes over, and plants a kiss on her lips. "I have breakfast ready. I'll meet you in the kitchen."

* * *

Jack was sitting at the table, reading the paper, nervously waiting for Renee. He had put on some music hoping that it could somehow help him. There was something important he had to ask her, but had no idea how to bring it up. After all, they weren't exactly boyfriend and girlfriend.

After a few minutes she finally emerged from the bedroom, looking beautiful as always.

"Hey sweetheart"

"Hey" she said with a yawn. "Anything good in the paper?"

"Just the same old political nonsense. On a better note, I made you some pancakes."

Jack gets up to serve Renee, anything to keep himself from thinking about the question that he's dying to ask

Renee walks over and takes a seat beside Jack. She waits patiently as he serves her. Once he took his seat and began to eat, she dug her fork into pancake and took a bite.

"Mmmm" she murmured.

Jack clears his throat, hoping he can gather his nerves to ask Renee something that been on his mind.

"So I spoke to Kim today...She wanted me to tell you that Teri has been asking about you nonstop, and wants to see you again"

Renee looked up. "Is that so?" she smirked.

"Haha, it is...so it got me thinking...your last check-up is this week, and we could use...a change in scenery..."

Jack looked away, and tried to find the right words to say. What him and Renee had...couldn't be defined by conventional terms. He loved her, and knew that he wanted to spend every waking moment with her..but he didn't want to scare her away. His biggest fear was that she would run...from him, and all the dangers that come with him.

Renee looked up confused. "Change of scenery?" she pause. "What do you mean?"

"Well...Kim sells real estate, and she told me of a house on her street that is going up for sale. She sent me some pictures and it's beautiful...but...I don't want to be anywhere your not. As much as I love L.A...my home is with you now"

Renee was stunned. She wasn't quite sure what he meant.

"Are you asking me if I want to move to LA?"

"Um...yes." Jack moved next to Renee, and bent down on one knee.

"Renee, I love you...and I have absolutely no idea what to call...what we have, but all I know is that I don't want to lose it. I never thought...that I would ever love anyone as much as I loved Teri...but I do. I love you, and without you...I have no reason to keep living. I know that sounds a little dramatic, but it's true. I would love to go back to L.A...but if you were to tell me that it was your dream to live in..Alaska...I would take you there...Ha...wow, I'm rambling..."

He reaches into his back pocket, and pulls out a blue box.

Renee's mouth dropped open as her eyes fell to box. She began to shake as she moved her gaze back up to Jack. "Jack is that...?" she stuttered. "Are you...?"

"I...uh...saw you looking at this on the Tiffany website, and remember you telling me about the Tiffany necklace your dad gave you before he died..."

He opens the lid, and looks up to gaze into her eyes

"Renee Abigail Walker...will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

Renee sat stiff in her chair, confused but mostly surprised. She rummaged through her mind to find words to say but couldn't. All she could do was stare into Jack's eyes and see if she could figure out whether he was bluffing or serious.

"Oh my god, he's serious" she thought.

"Jack, are you sure? I mean of course I would, but is it something you want? What about Kim? Have you told her?"

"Actually...Kim has been yelling at me to do this for awhile. She adores you Renee...you brought us together..I wouldn't even be alive right now if it wasn't for you."

He takes the ring out of the box, and takes her hand, but hesitates.

"Are you sure...I don't want..." he begins to ramble

Renee bends down and grabs Jack's face, pulling him into a passionate kiss. He was her other half...and without him, she knew she would fall apart.

Slowly and reluctantly Renee pulls back and puts her forehead against his and sighs contently. "I'm sure" she whispered.

Jack smiled as he slid the ring on her finger

"I love you." Renee whispered

Jack could feel a weight being lifted off his shoulder. Renee and him...would have forever. Somewhere, he could feel Teri cheering him on, telling him he can be happy again, and that everything was going to be ok. He pulled back to look into her eyes once more.

"So...about California?"

Renee gazed at the ring around her finger and looked back up at Jack. She was afraid this was all a dream and would wake up soon. But truth was she didn't want too. She never wanted too. All she wanted was Jack.

When she looked back up at Jack, she noticed he had asked her something and was waiting for an answer.

"Sorry what did you ask?" she smiled.

"Haha,I was asking about California honey. Is it...something you would consider?"

Renee let the question sink in. Her and Jack in California. Around his family. The thought scared her a little but as long as he was with her she's do anything.

"Of course I would" she answered. "Besides, it's not like I'm leaving anything behind."

He looks at her before pulling her into his arms.

"We have each other...now and forever" he whispers.

_"Sun turns the evening to rose_

_Stars turning high up above_

_You turn me into, Somebody Loved."_

* * *

**Writers Note- **In all honestly, I don't like how this turned out. I really feel as if I should have kept this a one shot...ah well. I wrote about 5 different endings for this, settled on this one, with the help of skatergirl94. So for all of you who read, thank you for sticking with me. I promise my next stories will defiantly be better. Oh, and I'm so sorry for the delay in updates. I moved out, got a new job, and i'm working all the time :( I'm working on my other stories, but it still may be awhile for updates :(

Reviews please? Good or bad, they'll make my day :)


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